Vermont State Police said in a news release on Tuesday they were investigating an apparent drowning that occurred Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at the Bolton Potholes in Bolton. State Police were notified of the incident at 4:29pm and responded to the swimming area.
The river itself is public land, but its surrounded by mostly private land, and there has been an ongoing debate about reasonable access to the pot holes.
Investigation by VT State Police revealed that the victim, identified as Samuel Paprin, 20, of Greenwich, Connecticut, had been caught in the rapids while swimming and became unresponsive. He was transported by ambulance to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington and subsequently pronounced deceased.
The VT State Police was assisted by Richmond Rescue, Richmond Fire Department and Bolton Fire Department. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Vermont State Police in Williston at 802-878-7111.
New England Waterfalls says the site, Bolton Potholes, also called Devil’s Potholes, consists of three sets of falls:
“The first plunge drops into a small, round pothole about 5 feet wide by 7 feet long. The second plunge, only feet downstream, drops into an almost perfectly circular pothole about 25 feet in diameter and 8 or 10 feet at its deepest point. The lips of the surrounding cliff walls overhang the pool slightly, allowing daring souls an opportunity to cliff jump. It is not uncommon to see people slip off this overhang and land in the pool below in unintended positions. The pool really is not deep enough for safe jumping, so if you partake in this activity, you do so at your own risk.”
The Vermont River Conservancy, which owns the Bolton Potholes, was quoted by VT Digger saying that at least six people had been known to have died there. A May 2022 death was the first at that location since 2011. A Burlington, VT man died after leaping from rocks at the Bolton Potholes. According to The Montpelier Bridge, witnesses said the man had jumped off a rock ledge into a pool of water where the river current was very strong and rapidly flowing. Signs were posted at the trail leading to the swimming hole warning of strong currents and unsafe swimming conditions.
After the May 2022 death, the VT Digger wrote in June that first responders urged for an increase in education to prevent tragedy at Vermont swimming holes.
Nearby, the Huntington Gorge in Richmond is notoriously dangerous.
In Vermont the VT River Conservancy is leading an effort to preserve perpetual public access to swimming holes across the state.